William l



(No Model.)

W. L. MQDOUGALL.

DEVICE FOR LOOKING. WHEELS.

Patented Feb. 5; 1884.

WITNESSES n PETER$ Phammm m her. Waihil gtnn. o. c

. .llnirnn STATES PATENT Brien.

WILLIAM L. reDoUc-ALL, on NEW YORK, Y.

DEVICE LOCKING WHEELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 293,051, dated February 5, 1884,

Application filed June 30, 1883. (No model.

f0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. McDon- GALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Locking the Wheels of Vehicles; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description. of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side view of a buggy with my as arise from the starting off of teams which have been left standing. The general principle depends 011 reduclng the vehicle to a drag by coupling together the wheels,'for which purpose I employ an extensible coupling rod or bar having at each, end a wheel clamp or yoke, the adjustable parts of the rod and the wheel-yokes being constructed substantially aswill hereinafter more fully appear.

I will now proceed to describe my invention, so that others skilled in the art to which it appertains may apply the same.

In the drawings, A-indicates a vehicle; 13, the front and O the hind wheelsthereof, to

. which the devices have been applied to lock the same.

D indicates thelocking or wheel-coupling device. Said device may consist of a single coupling-rod provided at each end with a yokefor holding the wheel, said yoke constructed substantially as hereinafter specified, which will be sufficient if no adjustment of the devices is desired; but preferably the coupling-rod is composed of two sections, cl (1, con

nected by a sliding or telescopic joint, which may be formed by a sleeve on one section, (see Fig. 3,) or by two perforated lugs, c 0, one attached to the end of each section (Z d, forming a guide for the other section, and provided with set-screws s, by means of which the rods can be secured when adjusted to the desired length. On the end of each rod-section is a wheel-yoke, f, whiclris preferably of U form, closed by a tongue orkeeper, g, which is pivoted on one arm of the U, and provided at its of the fixed arm of the yoke, and also the face of the spring-pin t, as shown in the drawings, in order to facilitate the engaging of the parts.

In order to prevent injury to the paint of Y the fellies, I incase the arms of the yoke and the tongue or keeper 9 in sleeves h, of rubber or other soft protective covering material.

To prevent loss or displacement, thislockin g device is generally secured to the side of the Vehicle by a light chain, and hooks m or may be provided for suspending the coupler D at the side of the bed when not in use.

The device may be made of wrought-iron or other suitable material, and rendered ornamental by tinning, plating, or like means well known in the arts.

\Yhen it is desired to apply the coupler, the set-screw s is loosened and the sections (1 cl drawn out or forced together until the coup lcr is the desired length, after which the setscrew is. tightened to secure the sections. The pivoted tongues or keepers y are then opened, and, the yokes f being placed around the follies of the front and hind wheels, (or any two wheels,) the keepers are closed to secure the wheels, and the same, being thus coupled by the coupling-rod D (Z d, can no longer revolve, which reduces the vehicle to a drag, and prevents the ready removal of the vehicle from place to place and the liability to dam age from the running away of teams which have been left untied.

I do not herein broadly claim a device for I hicle, consisting of a coupling-rod provided at its extremities with yokes having pivoted spring locking-keepers, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. A device for coupling the wheels of vehicles, consisting of an extensible sectional coupling-rod provided at its extremities wit-h yokes having pivoted spring locking-keepers, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination, with a wheel-coupling rod provided atits extremities with fellyyokes, of protective sleeves arranged on the arms and keeper of the yoke, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

I11 testimony whereof I affix my signature in I 5 presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM L. MQDOUGALL.

Witnesses:

F. WV. BITTER, Jr, H. BJMOULTON. 

